Isaiah 56:1-8 and the redefining of the restoration Judean community

The returning Zadokite priests may have demanded the immediate rebuilding of the temple and the conformity of all of the returnee community to their agenda. They advocated a hierarchically structured community that gave them the preeminent positions of power (Hanson 1988: 96). The Jerusalem priests and nobles who married out of the Judean community were criticized and eventually forced by Ezra to divorce their wives. These exogamous marriages introduced the possibility of idolatry and syncretistic practices into the community (Rofe: 213). Many of the returning exiles had intermarried with local people to establish social and economic relationships with prominent families. This allowed them to gain access to the land (Matthews: 174). Both Ezra and Nehemiah tried to put a stop to these intermarriages by requiring marriage only to other Judeans. This was a problem because the children of these marriages were losing their Judean identity, including their ability to speak Hebrew. Nehemiah made the men swear off any future intermarriage for themselves and their children, but the current mixed marriages were not broken up (McCullough: 42).

With the arrival of Ezra the balance of power between the Judeans and the "people of the land" shifted decidedly in the direction of the separatists. With Ezra came a large influx of new returnees. Ezra had the backing of the Persian court behind him, and he established a legal system. Going even further than Nehemiah, he did more than just prevent intermarriages--he forced the termination of mixed marriages through divorce. Ezra saw intermarriage as a sin against God. On a political level these marriages threatened the political autonomy of Judah; on a social level there was the possibility of the loss of ethnic identity for the Judeans; and on a religious level such intermarriages were considered a pollution of the people (Matthews: 174-76).

The differences between the Judeans and the "people of the land" (keeping in mind that the historical material available, Ezra/Nehemiah, was produced by the Judeans and thus reflects their perspective) are summarized in Table 1.

A Description of Isaiah 56:1-8

It is against this background that this oracle of Third Isaiah was spoken. In this section I wish to review the dating, content of the oracle, and the relationship between the eunuch and the foreigner as expressed in Figure 2.

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

The dating of Isaiah 56:1-8 varies. Whybray (43) dates Third Isaiah, including 56:1-8, too soon after the return, around 520 BCE. Westermann (307) sees Isaiah 58:1-8 (along with 66:18-24) as a later addition to Third Isaiah. Whybray rejects Westermann's theory that layers of text were added symmetrically before and after a central core (chapter 60-62) as being too schematic (Westermann: 307; Whybray: 43). If Westermann is correct, however, Isaiah 56:1-8 and 66:18-24 could be dated to a later time period than the core material. Hanson, giving Isaiah 56:1-8 an eschatological reading, dates it to the mid-fifth century and contemporary with Zechariah 9-14 (Hanson 1975: 388-89; discussed by Williamson: 150-51). Williamson disputes this dating. He sees the eschatological ideas of Zechariah 9-14 as too late for the universalistic ideas expressed in Isaiah 56:1-8, which he feels should not be read eschatologically. Smith places Isaiah 56:1-8 during the time of Nehemiah, soon after 444 BCE, when foreigners could still become converts if they accepted the obligations of the law, received purification, and kept the Sabbath. For him this text refers especially to those who were married to Judeans so their marriages would not have to be terminated (Smith: 180). As this diversity indicates, Isaiah 56:1-8 can be plausibly dated anywhere between the construction of the temple and the time of Nehemiah (approximately an 80 year span). For this reason I will not accept any one particular date, and prefer to read this passage across this time period as part of an ongoing conflict in the restoration community. In terms of content, verses 1-2 are concerned with fight action (Hanson 1995: 193-94). Righteous behavior is summed up as Sabbath keeping and obedience to the law. A blessing is bestowed on those who are obedient. The following verses shift the focus to who can be a member of the community.